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Colin Jennings Ms. Ingram English 1103 7 November 2012 Antibiotics: Helpful or Harmful? What does it mean to be healthy in the 21st century? For you, maybe its never getting a cold all year long. Others might get the occasional runny nose and the inevitable sore throat. But what do you do when you get something more serious? Go to the doctor, tell him your situation, get the typical check-up, your doctor writes a prescription and youre out the door in twenty minutes. No big deal, right? But lets say you get sick every year, meaning you need an antibiotic every year to fight off that inconvenient cold. As an antibiotic is used more commonly there is a greater chance that the antibiotic will be less and less effective. Now what happens when that antibiotic that is prescribed to you doesnt work the way it is supposed to? Another antibiotic is prescribed and the cycle continues. Antibiotic over use is becoming a growing concern worldwide. More and more cases of antibiotic resistance are occurring at rates that have never been seen in the history of antibiotics. You may say that the world is too technologically advanced to be affected by a natural phenomenon such as bacterial resistance. However, just like a hurricane or a tornado, bacterial resistance is just as dangerous and can be very hard to protect against. Medical experts and scientists have recognized this as a growing and pressing issue, but measures have not been taken to inform the public, the consumers, of the issue and its complications.

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To fully understand what is happening with resistant bacteria, a brief history of antibiotics must be acknowledged. The very first antibiotic ever discovered was found by Sir Alexander Fleming in 1928, which he called penicillin. After ten years of the antibiotic being tested and studied, it found its very first use in World War II. It was used to treat infections for soldiers who were wounded on the battlefield. Once antibiotics were proven to be successful, more types of antibiotics were discovered and converted into treatments for people who had life threatening infections. These drugs were coined miracle drugs because of their effectiveness against infections. From 1930 to 1990, antibiotics were continuously used resulting with dramatic decreases to infectious disease death rates. For example, pneumonia was highly fatal if contracted during the 1930s. About 85% of people who extracted pneumonia died, but when antibiotics were introduced around the 1950s the mortality rate dropped to 5% (Sengupta). Even now, antibiotics are still extremely helpful when it comes to infections, but this is where problems started to occur. As antibiotics were used so heavily, bacteria naturally mutated to resist these drugs. In nature, this is common but since antibiotics were used for such an extended period of time, bacteria began to increase its rate of resistance faster and faster. By 1992, there was evidence of resistance to every single useful antibiotic (Sengupta, Chattopadhyay). With this staggering evidence of resistance, where are we today? In the present day, bacteria has become even more resistant to antibiotics. Penicillin, the very first antibiotic ever discovered, has been so widely used that today only 10% of staph infections can be controlled by penicillin (Lappe). This statistic is not only stunning, but extremely daunting. Yes, new antibiotics have been discovered and modified to destroy these infectious bacteria, but what happens when bacteria is completely resistant to them as well? The most notorious superbug as they are called, is MRSA. MRSA is a staph infection that is

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resistant to any type of penicillin antibiotic. This type of staff infection is most common in hospitals and long-term care facilities. Between 2003 and 2008, MRSA cases have doubled in medical centers (The University of Chicago Press). More people were hospitalized from MRSA than AIDS and influenza combined between 2006 and 2008 (The University of Chicago Press). With more and more of these bacterial diseases occurring more often, one has to believe that antibiotics are becoming almost obsolete. Not only are antibiotics being misused in the medical field but also in the agricultural industry. Farmers realized that if antibiotics can reduce death rates amongst humans then they might be able to keep both crops and animals healthy as well. Backed by science, farmers started using antibiotics to keep animals and crops healthy. This meant farmers could gain more profit from their products because more of them were healthy. With better health came better production. Soon animals were given antibiotics for disease resistance and growth promotion. Crops grew bigger and farmers gained hugely from antibiotics. Antibiotics were sprayed on crops and fertilizers were mixed with antibiotics so that they were effectively absorbed by crops. The focus point of most antibiotics that are used on crops is a disease called fire blight. Fire blight gives crops a burnt appearance and if not treated, will kill the crops it infects. Farmers use antibiotics as preventative measures to kill the bacteria that cause fire blight. Excessive use of antibiotics came with a price though. Through these practices, resistant strains of bacteria were introduced into animals and crops. Around 15-17 million pounds of antibiotics are used for growth promotion on animals every year (Levy). Is that amount really necessary? With so many antibiotics being used on animals, eventually resistant strains began to show up against these antibiotics as well. These antibiotic resistant strains survived and eventually were ingested by humans after the humans consumed the affected food. This has created another massive problem

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for antibiotic resistance. Many food borne illnesses such as E. coli are becoming more common because of excess use of antibiotics in the food industry. It seems that antibiotics are used in almost everything. Rampant abuse of antibiotics has flown under the radar for years. Most of the general public has no idea how jeopardized their health is if they get extremely sick. You may ask who is to blame for this? Its very difficult to point a finger at one group in particular because antibiotics are extremely useful when used correctly. When doctors prescribe an antibiotic, they are only trying to make sure patients stay healthy. Pharmaceutical companies are only trying to make money off of their product which is understandable. They are a business and the main goal of a business is to have productive profit gain. They also provide a substantial service to people around the world by keeping people healthy with the antibiotics they produce. Also they invest heavily in the study and research of antibiotics and combating resistance. Even with some precautions, antibiotics are not controlled the way they should be. Looking at the facts and evidence of bacterial resistance, this situation is chilling and it applies to anyone who has taken or takes antibiotics. Even if you refuse to take antibiotics when you get sick, they will eventually be introduced into your body in some way. The best thing to do is control your intake of antibiotics. For instance, if you get a simple cold it is better to naturally fight off the cold and build up your immune system rather than take an antibiotic for it. Of course, if you do get something extremely serious you have no other option but to take an antibiotic because they are helpful in those situations. However, be aware of their side effects and the amount you have to take. You may be thinking that there must be other ways to reduce the risks of developing resistance and youre right, there are plenty of ways to reduce this risk. One way is if you are prescribed an antibiotic; make sure to completely take the full dosage. If

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you stop taking the antibiotic it can cause bacteria in your body to resist the antibiotic more often. Another way to keep your immune system healthy is eating the right foods. Yogurt is a great way to keep your immune system balanced. Yogurt contains live cultures which are healthy bacteria that keep your intestinal tract clear of disease-causing germs. Other foods that contribute to a healthy immune system are oats, barley, garlic, tea, chicken soup, fish, beef, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms. Knowing the risks of antibiotic resistance and ways to combat this growing problem will keep you and your loved ones safe and healthy.